石の上にも三年

The above proverb says: Ishino uenimo sannen. When translated this says, that sitting on a stone for three years will make anything possible. And while sitting on a stone forever may not necessarily accomplish your goals, perseverance can overcome all things. If we persevere we may realize our goals are too short or even too lofty, but if we don't keep trying, trying, and trying, we will never know.

I have a mid-term goal that is paramount to my life: college. I have my dream college that I will never be able to go to unless I can muster up incredible courage, luck, and will. I have already failed myself by not staying motivated and losing faith with myself in the past. I am probably past the point when I can make up for my mistakes to get into Berkeley, but I will keep trying. Those carillon bells above the eucalyptus inspire me every day. I do my triangle push-ups in martial arts and I think of Berkeley and the library. I do my boring Stats homework and I imagine myself in the laboratory with nobel laureates and diverse students. I do the tedious auction and fundraising work keeping in mind Sproul Plaza and the innumerable student organizations that inspire even more activism. I go to JSA and meander through the silly speeches and whines of the affluent suburban teenager, eager to go to a school where protest is cool. Maybe Berkeley is just a symbol for what I want; I know I can have just as great an experience at many other more affordable colleges. But I want to challenge myself. I want to achieve something that may not be possible for all. Tonight I even went and had a dinner with the head of undergraduate admissions (I sat next to him!). What sets me apart is my passion for my goal.

That's all you need. You need to find inspiration. You need to find a goal. You need to accept that you may fail, but you need to dream. You need to find a dream in which you can enjoy every step along the way.

I have a friend who truly embodies this journey-focus, rather than a focus on the destination. He plays ultimate all the time, runs every day, sleeps at least eight hours a night, and manages to be ranked eleventh in the class. How does he do it? I don't really know, but I assume that he doesn't care what others think and focuses on enjoying the moment. It helps that he is smart, but even if he didn't have such a great GPA, he would be happy. He doesn't need recognition or a number to find satisfaction. He lives to live.

I don't think we all should necessarily live like him because some people need to try. But we cannot forget to live. I can imagine myself continuing down this path, only working all the time, hoping for some reward later on. But I need to step out of the workaholic path every once in a while, not only for relaxation, but to improve my abilities and to reflect on self-improvement.

The moment you can accept that you are not perfect, you can accomplish anything.

"You See Berkeley"



Yes it's an ad, but maybe you can understand my passion for this dream.